Compost from the sky!!

A miracle!! The people next door are having their roof pressure washed!!!  The process has produced many wheelbarrow loads of moss and soil (as well as using huge quantities of water!!).  Of course I wasted no time in asking for the spoil.  Must be as good as peat as a garden ingredient?  The guy asked us to allow him to use our water supply as the flow from next door wasn't fast enough - I reluctantly agreed (all our water saving habits wiped out for a month or two!)  They are going to spray the roof with something to inhibit the growth if new moss - something I am also uneasy about and will keep our fungus growing logs covered for the day in case of over spray.

Busy day at the coppice

Just back from a few hours working in our woodland with my friend Steve. What a great day; sunny and clear - almost warm!! We are making good progress felling and logging the old (40 year old) chestnut coppice. Felling a few oak standards too mostly dead or damaged ones. Yesterday 100 chestnut trees arrived so I heeled them in ready to plant when we have logged this years trees. The chestnuts only cost me 81p each from Beechwood nurseries in Ireland - bargain! We are also planting ash trees (mostly sown ourselves or given to us) and a smattering of more interesting trees such as quince, field maple, black mulberry etc. Pictures are of the work in progress and last years coppice now planted up.